Bambi’s Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children at this setting thrive, as they form strong bonds with caring staff. Staff fully understand the importance of secure attachments for children's emotional well-being. Children feel safe and secure as they benefit from a well-established key-person system.

For instance, babies snuggle into their special person for reassurance when they need it. Staff seek information from parents about children when they start. They offer settling-in sessions and use these to get to know children and families.

This contributes to the home-from-home environment that staff strive to create for children. Children explore the enviro...nment and have fun. For instance, they pour water onto mud and excitedly jump into the puddles they make.

They enthusiastically chatter to staff as they play in the sand. 'I'm making a pie!' they say. Staff extend children's vocabulary during such activities by modelling words such as 'splash' and 'slippery'.

Children behave well and staff are good role models. For instance, staff model good manners and turn-taking during games to help children learn to play well together. All children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding.

Managers use funding to effectively support children's individual needs. They source specialist help, such as play therapists, for children who have experienced trauma in their lives.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Support for children with SEND is a strength of the setting.

Staff closely observe and monitor children's progress. If they notice any delay in learning or development, they liaise with parents and swiftly put strategies in place to support children. If necessary, they refer to other professionals such as speech and language therapists.

This helps to promote the best possible outcomes for all children.Staff provide a broad curriculum attuned to the interests of children. They incorporate a good balance of activities that cover all areas of learning.

Staff select a 'book of the term' to focus on with the children. They plan activities related to the chosen story and differentiate these well according to the ages of children. For example, babies use their senses to explore texture as they use cotton wool for snow pictures.

Toddlers learn words to describe different textures and older children practice counting bears on a 'bear hunt'.Children have wonderful opportunities to learn about their local community and the world around them. Staff plan outings for children, including visits to a farm to learn about animals.

They also help children to develop care and consideration for others, such as by making Valentine's cards for neighbours of the nursery.Staff support children consistently well to develop independence in everyday tasks. For example, staff support babies to gain the coordination to spoon-feed themselves.

Staff model to younger children how to put their shoes on and older children learn to change their clothing ready for a PE session. This all helps children to gain useful skills for the future, including when they move on to school.Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well.

Staff get down to children's level when speaking to them and children benefit from rich back-and-forth conversations with staff. However, occasionally, some staff ask too many questions in quick succession and use questions that only require a one-word answer.Parents speak highly about the care that staff provide for their children.

They say staff chat to them about their child's day at handover time and use daily diaries to share information about care routines. However, some parents do not know what their child's next steps in learning are and are unsure how to continue their learning at home. Leaders acknowledge they have yet to ensure that all parents are consistently kept up to date with children's ongoing progress.

Leaders support their team well. They have implemented robust systems to monitor staff practice. Leaders actively encourage staff to reflect on the learning environment for children and staff take pride in the nursery.

Staff undertake specific training to help them in their roles, such as supporting children with autism. Leaders prioritise the well-being of all staff and take steps to maintain high team morale. This helps to ensure a harmonious and positive learning environment for all children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are very knowledgeable about their role in safeguarding children. The designated safeguarding lead ensures that staff can confidently identify the signs and symptoms of when a child may be at risk of harm.

All staff attend regular safeguarding training. Leaders ask staff safeguarding questions to continually refresh their knowledge. Staff know who to report to should they have concerns about the welfare of a child.

They work effectively with other professionals, such as social workers, to ensure the ongoing safety of vulnerable children. Leaders also follow safer recruitment procedures when recruiting new staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to review their questioning techniques to further enhance children's communication and language skills nensure that all parents know their child's individual next steps and are kept informed of their ongoing progress so that they can support children's learning at home.